You Were always Precious
by Lament for a broken heart
Summary: I had died and been reborn, passed through another dimension... and this boy still managed to shock me every time he opened his mouth. GaixOC, Gai/OC, GaiOC, GuyxOC, Guy/OC, GuyOC. "You didn't have to prove yourself, you were always precious to me." "Even when you made me eat that bug?" "Especially when you ate the bug." (Rating may change)
1. Prolog

_**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any characters relating to it, besides the original characters in this story. **_____

All throughout my life I've heard; whether from movies, books, celebrities, or even total strangers; granted many off the latter I suspected to be senile and running on their last leg anyway, that death wasn't then end. I never thought that they meant literally. Even now I retain a sense of skepticism, and I was present for my own funeral. I can thankfully say that besides my own, the funerals I have attended have been few, and impersonal. I've always wondered if I was the only one who noticed that no matter whom the deceased was, or where they were from the priest or presiding authority at the funeral used the same phrase. "We are not here to mourn the death of _ _, but to celebrate a life." I didn't get to see all of my service, but I imagine that; despite my youth the very same phrase was used at least once.

The thing I remember most about that day; besides my accident, is my mother. I had never met a more headstrong no nonsense woman. I had never felt so shocked than when she had burst into tears at the pulpit. Gripping the stand so hard her knuckles had been pasty white long after she took her seat. I don't remember all her words, but I remember thinking that that was the most genuine emotion I had seen from her in my entire life. Even when I had gotten into an all-out fist fight with my older brother in her office, her reaction was feigned and forced. At least until we got home, she had been quick to tell me that if I laid a hand on my brother ever again I wouldn't live to see my eighteenth birthday.

Growing up I had no illusion of equality in my family. My father died when I was a baby, and my mother's favoritism became apparent as soon as my brother showed even a remote interest in law. I had been more interested in art; music, painting, and literature mostly. My father had been a famous appreciator of the arts and my own interest only served to push me and my mother even farther apart.

"I'm so sorry! I was too stubborn to tell her how much I loved her, how proud I was of my baby. She was definitely her father's daughter, and I wish I could say that I didn't resent her for it... but I can't. I'm so sorry baby, so sorry…" Her words still echo in my mind, whenever I feel not good enough, or that someone didn't approve of me or my actions. I think of how she acted around me when I was alive, and I remember something her old secretary used to say; "If you can impress that bitch, then no one can tell you that you aren't good at what you do."

I apologize if I'm going too fast, or if you find this all just too unbelievable. My story is neither short nor simple, but it's true. If you will stop and listen I'll tell you my life's trials, and my journey to find something I hadn't even known I was missing. I'm not sure at what point my previous life took a turn for the worst or why I was so troubled at the time of my death. So, I will just start at the accident and hope you find enlightenment from my long suffering.

'_Its official, my life sucks.' _

My purple polka dotted rubber rain boots made sloshing sounds with every step I took down the weirdly pristine side walk of the suburban neighborhood. The angry trembling of my shoulders shook the rain off my coat and down into my boots as I clomped my way down the street. A disgruntled sound bubbled up in the back of my throat as my short hair swung up to smack me in the face. Huffing angrily I did my best to wipe the water off of my glasses but ended up yanking them off and pumping my arm up and down violently in an attempt to dislodge what water I could from the thick teal frames similar to the way I had about thirty times already. On that note my rain boots needed to be emptied again. Shoving my glasses back up the bridge of my nose and yanking the wet hair from my eyes, I peered around the relatively deserted street and spotted a lone park bench just kitty corner from the street corner I was perched on. Continuing my agitated grumbling I hopped off the curb with a wet plunk and bowed my head to keep the precipitation out of my eyes. This was my first mistake.

A thunder crack in the distance muffled the urgent sound of a car horn. Dark purple material blocked out bright headlights. The sound of screeching tires and glass breaking cut off the sound of a blood curdling scream, the sickening thud of metal striking flesh.

I would not make it to the hospital.

_**Author's note – Thank you for reading please leave a review for my efforts and let me know what you think! **___


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 –

Everything was moving so fast, blurs of mostly white swam in and out of my sight moving too much for my unfocused eyes to catch. Muffled gibberish completed the busy atmosphere of my new surroundings. I felt both stunned and groggy reminding me of a time I had a concussion and had to stay in the hospital overnight. My body felt sticky and weak and my arms didn't seem to be capable of anything but trembling, though the blanket wrapped around most of my body impaired my movement so that might have contributed. It took all of my focus to determine that the noisy moving blobs were in fact people. I was so focused that when the face of an unfamiliar rather pudgy woman popped up in front of me my whole body lurched and to the woman and all the people blobs it probably looked like I was having a conniption. It was only when said woman lifted me up into her arms did I realize that something was very wrong. This woman was huge!

'_Oh my god! I've been abducted by giants!' _

I acted on my first instinct and tried to kick her away but she simple tucked my legs back into the blanket and pulled me tighter to her chest. I could hear her heels clack on the floor as we moved down what I assumed was a flight of stairs based on the repeated lurching motion of the portly woman going down the steps. Now completely discombobulated and thoroughly unhappy with my situation I let out the most high pitched paint peeling scream that I could managed. It seemed at the same moment a baby scream drowned me out and startled me into stopping. The baby also stopped, and I noticed the sound of multiple babies crying in the distance. They were kidnapping babies too?!

'_Oh hell no, I'm getting off this crazy train!'_

'Ok fatso put me down now o –'

"Oh-fa-ba-maaaaa-mmmhhh-" I nearly started screaming again when my speech came out as garbled baby gibberish.

'_A baby?! Really?! H-how could I- oh no, the car! I was hit but what happened after that?!'_

Apparently during my mental panic attack I had started to fuss again and the fat bane of my existence started bouncing me up and down in her arms. I squealed my displeasure and kicked my feet hoping she'd get the hint. Her motion stilled and the sound of babies was much louder now, an odd sound of wood scrapping against wood alerted me to something opening. Perhaps a cupboard or a drawer? The woman shifted me in her arms and brought me up to cooed at me in slow baby talk and wiggled one of my chubby baby hands in hers.

"Ok Suteki-chan, you ready to go to nursery? Are you sweetie?" If this was how we sounded when we talk to babies I'm taking a proper grammar oath right now. My eye twitched involuntarily and I barley suppressed a shudder. Wait, Suteki? Why is she calling me a Japanese name? I must have had a weird look on my face 'cause as soon as I stopped paying attention to her she was back to cooing at me and pinching my cheeks. I felt rather than saw the change in the room, the dim lights and warm air making all the difference for my tiny new body. A thinner set of arms pulled me away from the cheek pincher before I had the chance to really look at anything else and I was deposited into a small basket swaddled in pink fuzz. At least I can be sure I'm still a girl. All faces disappeared from above me and all I was left to was a warm sterile smell and the sound of baby coos and crying.

The women I assumed to be nurses pretty much left me alone after that, only coming in every half hour to change and/or feed me. Being aware while having ones diaper changed was an entirely new brand on humiliation. Unfortunately, the more I kicked the madder the nurses got and the bigger mess I made. So I opted to suck it up and let them do their jobs, if only to avoid being given a sponge bath by a husky looking woman I have decided to call Olga. That Olga is a mean old bird and will not hesitate to hang you upside down by your ankles in order to get you to shut up. I very much doubt that that last statement only applies to babies.

Unfortunately the only human contact I've had besides Olga was a man who periodically came and watched me from the other side of the glass. At least I think he was looking at me, it's hard to tell when I can't even see what he's wearing with my limited baby vision. Forget where he's looking and what his face looks like. He just stands there, as soon as I'm finished being changed and fed he's right there waiting and as soon as Olga comes back to get me he walks off to who knows where and isn't there again until the next day.

'_Who is this guy?'_

A long yawn interrupted my musing signaling to me it was time for a nap. Bunching up my tiny shoulders I snuggled down into my fuzzy pink nest and was a second from drifting off when a particularly unhappy sounding Olga burst through the door, jerking me awake and upsetting a room full of infants. I whined my displeasure as I was lifted from my basket and crammed into a purple jumper and wrapped in another pink monstrosity. Olga then handed me off to one of the other nurses, whom shifted something else over their opposite arm which I'm assuming is a diaper bag. Her grip on me was firm but much gentler than Olga and for that I was exceedingly grateful. I probably have bruises from that gorilla woman manhandling me all the time.

"Ok Suteki-Chan, you ready to meet your daddy honey?" Her quiet voice was music to my ears after Olga's grumblings and ravings. My ears perked at the last few words, my father? I was dying to ask her all the questions on my mind and the frustration of being incapable of expressing myself was enough to bring me to tears. My sudden outburst startled the nurse; whom until now was having a grand time cooing and baby talking me to death, her arms jerked and for a brief terrifying moment I was falling. The nurse cried out in distress and made a grab for me but a pair of much bigger hands beat her to me. The shock of my whole body smacking into a huge meaty palm was nothing in comparison to looking into my father's face for the first time. He wasn't unattractive I guess, but he was definitely rough looking. Deep set dark brown eyes stared back at me from behind wisps of dark blue hair, stilling my light fussing instantly. Dark tan skin littered with light scares and stubble on his broad square jaw making him look almost exotic by male standards.

His oval eyes studied me intently for a brief moment before I was shifted into the crook of his elbow and his gaze shifted to the nurse. Apparently his catch had stunned her the same way it did me as she was silent until she was in his sights. All at once she was babbling out apologies and excuses waving her arms around franticly. He took her antics in stride and calmly picked the discarded diaper bag up off the floor before turning around without a word and walking out into the warm sunshine.

'_What do I do now?'_


End file.
